MEPs considering vacant UK seats

The European Parliament began to consider British seats that will be left empty post-Brexit from 2019 with Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands scooping up most initially. (Image: illustration).

Those who want to distribute EP seats after #Brexit make the "fair representation" point f MS w/increased population but those w/ declining population shouldn't lose any seat& Germany, already underrepresented, won't get any additional seats cause treaty "doesn't allow" #Nonsensepic.twitter.com/MXEKVQWAbO

Out of the 73 seats now held by Britain, 27 will be allocated to existing EU states, the parliament’s institutional affairs committee underlined, as it drew up to adjust the legislature in the five years from 2019 when Britain quits.

The remaining 46 British seats would stay vacant for now and be filled later by EU newcomers – in all likelihood from the six Western Balkan countries now knocking on the EU’s door, or from “pan-European lists” in which citizens of one EU country can vote for a candidate from another member state.